


just like the ones i used to know

by littlelooneyluna



Category: robron
Genre: M/M, a very merry christmas everyone!, canon compliant (sort of), fluff basically, just celebrating the day, reflection of last year, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 17:37:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17146127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlelooneyluna/pseuds/littlelooneyluna
Summary: robert and aaron celebrate christmas





	just like the ones i used to know

**Author's Note:**

> merry christmas everyone!

 

 

 

Robert rolls over and the first thing he sees is the snow cascading down the window, the high trees practically coated in the white fabric and forming snowflakes against the glass. He smiles gently as he thinks about how picturesque the village will look, and then he wants to sigh because he’s definitely getting older if he genuinely thinks about stuff like that.

He shivers against the cold, closes his eyes again and then shuffles down in the bed before Aaron’s arm wrap around him and the younger man’s face is right in the crook of Robert’s neck. Robert lets him settle there for a few seconds before he’s turning his body and forcing Aaron to move with him as he leans across. 

“What’s with all the moving?” Aaron’s voice is soft gravel and it makes Robert instantly smile. He wonders if it will ever _not_ make him instantly smile one day.

“It’s Christmas Day.” And yet Aaron just shrugs against him, moves his cold feet across Robert’s leg and rubs a hand against Robert’s groin suggestively.

“Hmm? You want an early Christmas present?”

And suddenly Robert realises he has a lot more willpower than he’s ever given himself credit for because he shakes his head and leans away, given Aaron a soft kiss and dealing with the sleepy confusion on his husband’s face.

“I need to prep the turkey if we want it done by two.” Robert says, because apparently all that chopping and slicing and dicing shit he was doing last night which Aaron knows he liked to call _prep_ wasn’t all that much preparation after all was it?

Robert leans out of bed, shudders against the cold as he wraps his dressing gown around him and then looks back down to Aaron laying out on the bed. Aaron’s struck by this feeling out of nowhere as he stares up at Robert standing over him with his hair all flat and soft and his eyes still a little puffy from sleep. He’s here. He wasn’t last year.

There’s a lot of things that Aaron can easily forget about, push to the back of his mind because the _present_ is so good and there’s nothing that can destroy that. But then he thinks about how his heart felt exactly a year ago, how he thought the love his life was going to _die_. It courses through him as he sees Robert staring.

“You alright?” Robert asks, the frown on his face still there as he sees how clearly Aaron is looking at him. It’s almost like he’s still dreaming or something.

Aaron nods though, very much conscious and then he smiles. “Of course I am.” He says, “Come here.” And it must be Christmas by the way Aaron kisses him, opened mouthed and tongues dancing and enough to make Robert turn bright red. “Now go, sort out the turkey or whatever you said. I’ll try and not hold it against ya.”

Robert ties his dressing gown and then looks for a pair of socks, he finds ones with Christmas trees on them and instantly knows they’re Liv’s. He stretches them out a little with his hands before putting them and turning towards Aaron again. “Uh hold _what_ against me?”

“You wanting your hands all over some turkey rather than all over me.” Aaron’s only teasing and it shows by the way he suddenly kneels on the bed and has his hands against Robert’s shoulders. He holds down as he feels Robert laugh.

“I can make it up to you later.” Robert promises, and he turns to get a kiss. He gets one, softer this time and he needs to leave before Aaron romances him into bed again.

 

~*~

 

The idea of Liv actually coming down to help him before eleven o’clock on Christmas Day was always going to be a long shot so he doesn’t hold his breath as he starts getting the turkey out of the fridge and slathering butter over it.

He’s got the radio on and feels almost so much like an old man that he sort of hates himself but then there’s a smile on his face and he catches himself in the mirror. It shocks him, in this really odd way. Just seeing himself genuinely happy is enough to make his eyes flicker and this weird thing get clogged in his throat.

Because yeah maybe he is being dramatic but he never thought that he’d be spending another Christmas like this with Aaron this time last year did he? He never thought he’d be cooking his _family_ Christmas dinner and that they’d still love him.

Still.

He gets lost in his memories when Liv comes down the stairs with a hand in her hair and a frown on her face. “You starting already?”

“Oh and _merry_ Christmas to you too Olivia.” Robert teases, rolls up the sleeves of his dressing groan and the young girl yanks out a head phone as she lingers near the kitchen. Robert feels her staring as he gets the turkey in the oven and turns up the radio a little and he’s half expecting her to say something about his socks but instead she goes and surprises him.

“Can I help?” He doesnt say anything for too long and she turns into Aaron as her scowl gets deeper and she retracts the offer. Only he manages to get her back on side by giving her some potatoes to get peeling and a promise of her getting the best slices of turkey.

They’re like that, side by side until she decides to stare up at him almost exactly the way Aaron did only a few hours ago. 

“You alright?”

And this time she’s not Aaron, she doesn’t hide what she’s thinking. She says it.

“I didn’t think you’d ever be here like this again.” Liv blurts out, hand on a half peeled potato and a Christmas song blurring in the background. She looks so deep in the realisation and Robert clears his throat, he’s trying to pretend like it’s not that big of deal considering they got back together only two months after Christmas but —

“After last Christmas.”

And ah, it sounds so dramatic when you put it like that. Or when you do a quick summary of all the events. Robert got run over and then dumped again in this really awful way and that was that.

“Yeah well, I am now.” Robert says, eyes flickering as he moves away from the counter and mindlessly opens the fridge. He expects her to just drop the subject but instead she persists, sighs a little and he realises that they haven’t ever really spoken about what happened. 

“Aaron and me thought you were going to die you know.” Liv says, and she looks so small as she speaks. “Chas and him didn’t want me knowing, I guess they didn’t think I’d care but —“ She looks down and Robert is forced to turn back and look right at her. “I did.” 

It makes him smile a little faintly and he comes closer to her, draws a hand against her shoulder and squeezes. 

“It was all dark back then wasn’t it?” He says, like she’s five and he’s not trying to upset her. In reality she’s known so much more than he ever thought she should have, she’s been pushed in the middle of so much upheaval. She nods a little and he sighs. “But I’m here now.”

Liv rubs her eye and smiles. “Cooking us some posh Christmas dinner.”

Robert wriggles his eyebrow. “Well considering the last time I had Christmas here we ended up having turkey nuggets instead of the real thing. I’m considering this a step up.” He says, feigns annoyanceas he thinks about that perfect Christmas at Wishing Well and the fact that he nearly ate a pheasant. It gets a laugh from Liv at least.

“Whatever.”

“Listen though I — it’s the first of so many more. Us here as a family.”

He manages to say it as soon as Aaron appears by the stairs and the moment only manages to get softer. Aaron comes closer and kisses at his forehead and Liv decides to scram, headphones back in as she settles on the sofa.

“What was that about?” Aaron asks, like he has to know. He’d been listening and everything inside him practically melted as he heard. 

Robert shrugs a little. “She just needed a nice word.”

Aaron smiles faintly and then looks towards the living room, they’ve got their stockings filled up high and it’s sort of ridiculous considering no one believes in Santa in the house and yet it makes him feel warm inside. “You carry on with that and then we can see what Santa’s left.” He rolls his eyes like he hates it and Robert knows him better. He leans across and kisses him and then shakes his head.

“You love it.”

Aaron gulps hard. “I love you.”

Robert needed to hear it and it makes his face light up. “Good.” He says and Aaron’s mouth twitches a little. “Merry Christmas Mr Sugden.”

“Dingle.”

“Sugden- _Dingle_.” Robert mumbles as his mouth meets Aaron’s again. 

 

~*~

 

Chas and Paddy FaceTime for what feels like an hour and mostly complain about how hot it is on the beach they’re staying at. Robert can’t help but look out the window and not be able to relate whatsoever. But he doesn’t really mind.

They’re both doing as best as they can considering. 

They send their love.

And that makes Robert’s heart skip a little in this odd way. He can’t help but remember that moment in the pub, him begging Aaron to take him back, Chas insisting he leave. It’s an ugly scar he keeps but it seems to be healing every time Chas smiles at him. 

Aaron’s disappeared upstairs only to come down again with the hoodie on. _The_ one. He’s never seen it on him before, imagined what he’d look like _yeah_ but this is different. And Aaron acts so casual it’s almost like he doesn’t realise. 

“I thought you’d burnt that or something.” Robert says and it makes Aaron look at him funny and shake his head. 

“What? Never. I love it.” He says, feels at the arms and then comes to sit next to Robert on the sofa. It’s surrounded by small little presents and trinkets and _love_ and he manages to push a cushion out of the way to get to Robert.

“Why?”

“Because you bought it for me.” Aaron’s not the most romantic sweet person in the world but sometimes he really has his moments and it makes Robert’s head spin. He gulps unsteadily as Aaron leans his legs across Robert’s lap and looks towards the television.

“Yeah. And then I embarrassed you in front of everyone in the pub by giving it to you.”

Aaron’s eyes flicker and he remembers what has turned out to be one of the most horrible memories he’s got of him and Robert. It feels strange considering how much else has happened between them too but seeing Robert so broken and hurt and alone is something that Aaron never wants to have to go through again. He clears his throat before he looks at Robert and then he pulls a hand out and lets Robert hold on.

“I wore it round Zak and Lisa’s.”

“You didn’t.” It gets Robert’s eyes all glassy.

“Yeah I did.” Aaron wrinkles his nose and then smiles. “Mum wasn’t best pleased but I was.” He looks down at the watch Robert’s wearing and then up at him. “Just more proof that you never really lost me.”

He leans over and kisses Robert hard on the mouth and something definitely smashes against the ground but none of them seem to care.

Liv does though. It’s the new phone case she got and suddenly Aaron’s got something else to look out for in the Boxing Day sales.

 

~*~

 

They’ve planned to go round to Zak and Lisa’s only Lisa’s still not back yet and it’s looking more and more like Moira’s just bringing everything round their for them all to devour.

Aaron likes that they’re in their own home instead.

They can join the craziness later if they have to.

Liv’s out with Noah when Aaron walks into the kitchen with a smile on his face and then sees Robert staring up at the fridge. It doesn’t take him long to realise what he’s staring at. Seb’s name written out in the magnets. It makes Aaron’s heart thud and he clears his throat before Robert turns around and looks sheepish.

“She’ll call.”

“Yeah.” Robert rubs a hand across the back of his neck and now really isn’t the best time to admire how beautiful he looks in his spotty jumper and navy jeans but Aaron’s brain seems to think it is. “I know that.” He says, starts walking around the kitchen aimlessly as Aaron stares at him. 

“She’s probably just knee deep in wrapping up paper or something.”

Robert stops and looks up Aaron. He looks broken suddenly. “Yeah. And ours are sitting over there aren’t they?” They’d gone overboard, naturally, and yet they’re all stuck underneath the stairs waiting to be opened. Still. 

Aaron chews at his gum.

“Just like last year.”

“It’s not like that.” Aaron says, comes forward and presses a hand against Robert’s chest.

“I couldn’t give him his presents then either. I missed — missed his first Christmas and now I’m missing his second too.”

Aaron gulps steadily. “The difference is, you have us now. Mr Happily Married.” Robert almost smiles and Aaron shakes his head. “It’s all going to be okay. I promise.”

He promises and Robert leans forward and lets his forehead rest against Aaron’s as he breathes in deeply and then shudders. “I’m sorry. Look I know it is — I’m just —“ he gulps. “Sorry. It’s Christmas.”

That makes Aaron laugh and then he kisses Robert’s forehead as he holds his face.

“Our first proper one. I’m not going to ruin that.”

Aaron frowns. “You’re not.” He tuts. “You’re upset and so am I but —“

“But we’ve still got you and me, and Liv, if she ever forgives ya for breaking her case.”

Aaron laughs again and pulls a face. “It was sort of your fault.” He shrugs. “Just way too irrestible for me these days.”

Robert gasps. “Is that a _compliment_ from Aaron Sugden?”

“Dingle.”

“Dingle.”

Aaron sniffs. “Yeah it is a compliment.” Robert pulls a face. “What? Like you said, it’s Christmas.” He leans away and actually slaps Robert on the arse and yeah —

Christmas miracles do exist after all don’t they?

 

~*~

 

He’s serving up, he’s standing there cutting turkey for his family and feeling really stupidly proud of himself. It’s not been a mad day, it’s been soft and quiet and _his_ and he’s here with his family for Christmas.

Last year he was in hospital.

The thought itself made him ring Diane and Vic just before serving up, he’d somehow got round to thanking them for being there for him last year. And then he’d told Vic he was there for her if she needs him. He gets it. That loneliness without the one you really love.

She’d basically nearly cried down the phone to him and it had been really lovely and odd at the same time. She’s coming over tomorrow.

“Right I get first dibs.” Liv waves her plate in the air and Robert looks towards the door. 

“We should wait for Aaron.” He says, because he’d disappeared for some beer way too long ago now. Liv just rolls her eyes and he starts slicing pieces on to her plate. 

He’s still got his head down when he hears the door go and then a soft gasp escape Liv’s mouth and —

Aaron’s standing there with Seb on his hip.

He’s got this little Christmas outfit on, a green hat and everything and Robert’s mouth falls open as Aaron makes him wave and Seb’s little face comes alive.

“Look who’s come to say merry Christmas.” Aaron says gently, like he’s trying to not make Robert get all emotional in front of the little one. It doesn’t work, Robert walks towards them and makes grabby hands for Seb.

It makes the little boy gurgle and then he’s in his arms and touching his face. Robert shoots at look to Aaron and the younger man shakes his head.

“Don’t worry I didn’t do anything daft again.” He’s quick to say, and Liv gets up, rubs a hand across Seb’s hair. 

“Then how’s the Christmas elf here?” Liv says, smiles this big smile and Seb’s chewing at his hand and giggly at her face.

Robert holds him closer as Aaron explains, taking his jacket off and sighing.

“Rebecca called me in a bit of a tizzy. Neither her or Ross can cook apparently so they’re going to some fancy Christmas dinner party and she reckons he deserves a proper Christmas dinner —“

“Oh how good of her.” Liv says, rolls her eyes as Seb leans over towards her and she takes him from Robert.

“Liv.” Aaron says before he wipes his hand across his face and looks back at Robert. “I was just happy to take him out of Ross’ hands. He proper smiled at me when I came in.”

And Aaron must have bombed it down to Liverpool.

Robert smiles faintly. “You drove all that way, on Christmas Day?”

Aaron nods awkwardly. “Well I wasn’t helping much with the dinner was I?” He says and then he comes closer and holds at Robert’s waist. “I knew how much it would mean to have him here. Rebecca knew that too, she wouldn’t have rung me otherwise.”

“Or she was too busy thinking about having some posh —“ And Liv doesn’t even try to hide her annoyance. Aaron tells her off again and then she sighs, strokes a hand against Seb’s hair. “Whatever, who cares? He’s here now.”

Robert looks at Liv with Seb in her arms and he just smiles. She’s exactly right.

That’s why he ends up with a stupid paper hat on his head, pulling crackers with Liv and bouncing Seb on his knee. He catches Aaron looking at him across the table, mouthing ‘I love you’ and it knocks him for sixth. He smiles, glassy eyes and all sorts and mouths it right back.

And then Seb gets a little too excited and a little too close to the gravy boat and —

Well it wouldn’t be Christmas without something spilling over, would it?

 

~*~

 

Seb gets everyone smiling as they turn up to Wishing Well, everyone wants a squeeze too and he’s great with all the over animated. He’s waving and pushing his new toys in Sam and Lydia’s faces and making them all laugh.

Zak also shoves Robert a glass of egg nog and a wink so everyone’s winning.

Robert settles outside in the cold air, back against the wall as he takes a breather against the karaoke Belle’s set up. It makes him smile to think about how Aaron’s a little pissed, a little merry and it’s got a lot to do with having Seb. Even if it’s just for today.

The stars are out to play tonight and Robert stares up at them and thinks again back to last year. It’s like he can’t control it.

“Oi, are you hiding from Mariah Carey on the karaoke machine?” Aaron says, leans against the wall and then comes a little closer to Robert. “Tell me you’ve had a good day.”

It sort of comes out of nowhere and Robert spins towards him, frowns slightly. “Of course I have.” He says, leans closer and reaches out for Aaron’s hand. “What makes you —“

“You’re out here on your own.”

Robert opens his mouth and no words seem to come out. He looks down and then up again. “Just overwhelmed.” He blinks quickly, bites at his lip as Aaron pulls this soft face. “So much has changed since —“

Aaron has a hand against Robert’s cheek and he shudders. “I’m here now.” He says. “You’ve got _everything_ back.” There’s that thought running through his head as Aaron rubs a hand across his cheek gently.

Robert shudders. “I was so lost.” He frowns. “Without ya. Back then. I didn’t think I’d ever —“

“I know. I know.” Aaron’s eyes are glassy as he speaks. “But look.” He shrugs. “You’ve got a whole family who _love_ ya, you cooked us this amazing meal that we’ll still be eating until New Years —“

Robert laughs, tears stretching down his face as he does. 

“I was so scared of never having this again.” He says, and Aaron shakes his head, holds Robert close.

“You don’t ever have to think about that again.” Aaron whispers into his chest, wraps his arms right around Robert and just stays like that for the longest time. “I love you so much, always have.” He kisses Robert gently and then pulls away.

“Is it because I made such an amazing dinner.” And it really really was the best thing in the world, Aaron couldn’t move for nearly an hour afterwards.

Aaron nods. “Yeah that’s the only reason.” He whispers, grabbing him in for another kiss that’s ruined by Lydia awkwardly approaching them with Seb.

“He was a bit upset. Reckoned he was just missing his dadddys.” Lydia strokes his hair and passes him over with a kind smile on her face and Robert holds the little boy close to his chest to keep him warm.

Aaron stares at the little boy and feels his heart swell, that phone call had been everything he wanted to happen. A little Christmas miracle of their own to deal with.

“You know this isn’t going away.” Aaron whispers, still holding Robert close as the little boy looks towards the stars and gurgles. Robert nods faintly after staring for a few seconds. “Not ever.”

He believes it.

It travels through him as he kisses Aaron’s head and then hears Liv open the door and wave for them to come inside because someone’s given Sam the mic.

 

~*~

 

Robert rolls over a satisfied Aaron, done with giving him his extra special Christmas present and feeling sore when he grins, kisses Aaron’s bare shoulder.

“Best. Christmas. Ever.” Robert pants, rubs his feet with Aaron just to keep him close as they both try and calm down.

Aaron looks over towards him with this soft smile on his face, hair sticky with sweet and curling. “Yeah?”

Robert nods. “Yeah.” He realises within the moment that he’s never felt like this before. 

He feels absolutely, almost unimaginably complete.

“Good. Because it’s just the start of many more.” Aaron whispers. “And one year I’ll get you to let me handle the dinner.”

“Never going to happen.” Robert says, kisses him as he rolls over Aaron’s body and walks slowly towards the bathroom.

He’s staring in the mirror when he notices his jacket hanging on the door, he frowns against something red inside the pocket and pulls out his paper hat still inside. It hadn’t broken. He holds it like it’s made of glass and smiles before opening the bin and hovering over it with the hat in his hand.

It takes a second before he closes the bin instead and decides to keep the stupid Christmas hat. He’ll make it his thing, keeping them every year, every _good_ year of snogging and egg nog and mulled wine and Seb’s toys breaking immediately after being opened.

For the many more years to come.

 

 

 


End file.
